Mobile application as an intelligent agent with the ability to listen, process and action the customer&#39;s voice/feedback

ABSTRACT

A computing platform having at least one processor, a memory, and a communication interface may receive, via the communication interface, a first content stream containing status information associated with a customer session. Responsive to receiving the first content stream, the computing platform may generate a feedback request, which is transmitted via the communication interface to a remote client device, causing the feedback request to be displayed on the remote client device. The computing platform may receive, via the communication interface, a second content stream containing information received from the remote client device in response to the feedback request. Responsive to receiving the second content stream, the computing platform may generate and transmit advice via the communication interface to the remote client device, causing the advice to be displayed on the remote client device.

FIELD

Aspects of the embodiments relate to a database system that provides atechnological advancement over existing database systems by selectivelysoliciting feedback from customers at appropriate times and directingthe customer to any existing channels that may be beneficial to resolvea problem currently being experienced by the customer.

BACKGROUND

Despite a variety of social media and other channels being used forcollecting customer feedback, there remain significant challenges withrespect to receiving the requested feedback, processing the feedback,and appropriately acting on the feedback. Often feedback is requestedvia a questionnaire form. Many customers, however, dislike completinglong questionnaires to communicate their experiences. Another problemcan be that the population selected for and/or who choose to respond toa survey may not accurately reflect an actual customer population,thereby introducing bias in the results.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure provide effective, efficient, scalable, andconvenient technical solutions that address and overcome the technicalproblems associated with deploying computing infrastructure andproviding user account portals. In particular, one or more aspects ofthe disclosure provide techniques for promptly identifying and resolvinga variety of types of issues that may be encountered during a customersession.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a computing platform havingat least one processor, a memory, and a communication interface mayreceive, via the communication interface, a first content streamcontaining status information associated with a customer session.Responsive to receiving the first content stream, the computing platformmay generate a feedback request and transmit the feedback request viathe communication interface to a remote client device, causing thefeedback request to display on the remote client device. The computingplatform may receive, via the communication interface, a second contentstream containing information received from the remote client device inresponse to the feedback request. Responsive to receiving the secondcontent stream, the computing platform may generate and transmit advicevia the communication interface to the remote client device, causing theadvice to be displayed on the remote client device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitedin the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicatesimilar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing system environmentthat may be used according to one or more illustrative embodiments.

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative system for implementing example embodimentsaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative event sequence for implementing and using adata processing system to provide automated collaboration assistancefunctions in accordance with one or more example embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts a method of collecting and processing customer feedbackin accordance with one or more example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of the various embodiments, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof, and inwhich is shown by way of illustration various embodiments in which thedisclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that otherembodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modificationsmay be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentdisclosure.

It is noted that various connections between elements are discussed inthe following description. It is noted that these connections aregeneral and, unless specified otherwise, may be direct or indirect,wired or wireless, and that the specification is not intended to belimiting in this respect.

The features disclosed herein overcome one or more drawbacks in priorart database systems to provide a technological improvement. In oneexample, the accuracy of a customer feedback system, in terms ofrelevance to a matter at hand, is improved by automatically selectingtopics that are pertinent to input received from the customer. Inanother example, the effectiveness of a customer feedback system isimproved by automatically identifying appropriate times for solicitingcustomer feedback, such as when failure is encountered or when thetransaction may have increased importance to the customer. In yetanother example, the versatility of a customer feedback system isimproved by automatically cataloging features that are not presentlyavailable to address a particular customer need, so as to help identifya need for new product features.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a computing platform havingat least one processor, a memory, and a communication interface mayreceive, via the communication interface, a first content streamcontaining status information associated with a customer session. Insome aspects, the status information may include an indication that anattempted transaction was unsuccessful. In other aspects, the statusinformation may include an indication that the customer may befrustrated due to the transaction having required an unusual number ofsteps or duration for its completion, for example the actual number ofsteps taken to complete a transaction exceeded a predetermined number ofsteps and/or the actual duration taken to complete a transactionexceeded a predetermined duration. In still other aspects, the statusinformation may include an indication that the transaction may havesentimental value to the customer, such as due to its temporal proximityto a known special occasion.

The status information received from the remote client device may begathered and analyzed for purposes of evaluating the feature oractivity. In addition, responsive to receiving the first content stream,the computing platform may generate a feedback request and cause thefeedback request to be transmitted to the remote client device. In someexamples, the feedback request may be selected from a plurality ofpredetermined alternatives based on the content of the statusinformation received. In other examples, the feedback request may betailored by asking the customer relevant questions while collecting thefeedback.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, the computing platform,responsive to receiving the first content stream associated with thecustomer session, via the communication interface, identifies anexisting feature, generates an inquiry asking the customer whether he orshe wishes to engage the existing feature, and causes the inquiry to bedisplayed on the remote client device. In the event that an existingfeature is not available or one cannot be identified based on theinformation provided by the customer, the computing platform mayautomatically update a feature catalog to include information regardingthe customer session. When a new feature relevant to the customersession is developed or in the process of development, the computingplatform may automatically generate and transmit a communication to thecustomer (e.g., by e-mail, text message, or the like) to alert thecustomer to the new feature and/or to the progress of its development.

Aspects of the disclosure as described herein may provide a number ofadvantages over currently available technologies, including helping aservice provider to better understand its customers and using customerfeedback to identify potential new features for future development. Insome aspects, a human-like feedback collection system is provided thatallows customers to easily provide input in natural language. Thecollection system also may offer further improvements over existingtechnologies by identifying the best times to solicit customer feedbackand automatically identifying potential customer frustration when anunusual number of steps or duration is taken to complete a transaction.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing system environment100 that may be used according to one or more illustrative embodiments.The computing system environment 100 may include a computing device 101wherein the processes discussed herein may be implemented. The computingdevice 101 may have a processor 103 for controlling overall operation ofthe computing device 101 and its associated components, includingrandom-access memory (RAM) 105, read-only memory (ROM) 107,communications module 109, and memory 115. Computing device 101 mayinclude a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable mediamay be any available media that may be accessed by computing device 101and include both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable andnon-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computerreadable media may comprise a combination of computer storage media andcommunication media.

Computer storage media include volatile and nonvolatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules or other data. Computer storage media include, but isnot limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM),electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD)or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othermedium that can be used to store the desired information and that can beaccessed by computing device 101.

Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated datasignal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includesany information delivery media. Modulated data signal includes a signalthat has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such amanner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, andnot limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wirednetwork or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic,RF, infrared and other wireless media.

Computing system environment 100 may also include optical scanners (notshown). Exemplary usages include scanning and converting paperdocuments, e.g., correspondence, receipts to digital files.

Although not shown, RAM 105 may include one or more are applicationsrepresenting the application data stored in RAM 105 while the computingdevice is on and corresponding software applications (e.g., softwaretasks), are running on the computing device 101.

Communications module 109 may include a microphone, keypad, touchscreen, and/or stylus through which a user of computing device 101 mayprovide input, and may also include one or more of a speaker forproviding audio output and a video display device for providing textual,audiovisual and/or graphical output.

Software may be stored within memory 115 and/or storage to provideinstructions to processor 103 for enabling the computing device 101 toperform various functions. For example, memory 115 may store softwareused by the computing device 101, such as an operating system 117,application programs 119, and an associated database 121. Also, some orall of the computer executable instructions for the computing device 101may be embodied in hardware or firmware.

Computing device 101 may operate in a networked environment supportingconnections to one or more remote computing devices, such as computingdevices 141, 151, and 161. The computing devices 141, 151, and 161 maybe personal computing devices or servers that include many or all of theelements described above relative to the computing device 101. Computingdevice 161 may be a mobile device communicating over wireless carrierchannel 171.

The network connections depicted in FIG. 1 include a local area network(LAN) 125 and a wide area network (WAN) 129, but may also include othernetworks. When used in a LAN networking environment, computing device101 may be connected to the LAN 125 through a network interface oradapter in the communications module 109. When used in a WAN networkingenvironment, the computing device 101 may include a modem in thecommunications module 109 or other means for establishing communicationsover the WAN 129, such as the Internet 131 or other type of computernetwork. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown areillustrative and other means of establishing a communications linkbetween the computing devices may be used. Various well-known protocolssuch as TCP/IP, Ethernet, FTP, HTTP and the like may be used, and thesystem can be operated in a client-server or in Distributed Computingconfiguration to permit a user to retrieve web pages from a web-basedserver. Any of various conventional web browsers can be used to displayand manipulate data on web pages.

Additionally, one or more application programs 119 used by the computingdevice 101, according to an illustrative embodiment, may includecomputer executable instructions for invoking user functionality relatedto communication including, for example, email, short message service(SMS), and voice input and speech-recognition applications.

Embodiments of the disclosure may include forms of computer-readablemedia. Computer-readable media include any available media that can beaccessed by a computing device 101. Computer-readable media may comprisestorage media and communication media and in some examples may benon-transitory. Storage media include volatile and nonvolatile,removable and non-removable media implemented in any method ortechnology for storage of information such as computer-readableinstructions, object code, data structures, program modules, or otherdata. Communication media include any information delivery media andtypically embody data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier waveor other transport mechanism.

Although not required, various aspects described herein may be embodiedas a method, a data processing system, or a computer-readable mediumstoring computer-executable instructions. For example, acomputer-readable medium storing instructions to cause a processor toperform steps of a method in accordance with aspects of the disclosedembodiments is contemplated. For example, aspects of the method stepsdisclosed herein may be executed on a processor on a computing device101. Such a processor may execute computer-executable instructionsstored on a computer-readable medium.

Referring to FIG. 2, an illustrative system 200 for implementing exampleembodiments according to the present disclosure is shown. Asillustrated, system 200 may include one or more workstation computers201. Workstations 201 may be local or remote, and may be connected byone of communications links 202 to computer network 203 that is linkedvia communications links 205 to server 204. In system 200, server 204may be any suitable server, processor, computer, or data processingdevice, or combination of the same. Server 204 may be used to processthe instructions received from, and the transactions entered into by,one or more participants (clients).

Computer network 203 may be any suitable computer network including theInternet, an intranet, a wide-area network (WAN), a local-area network(LAN), a wireless network, a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, aframe relay network, an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, avirtual private network (VPN), or any combination of any of the same.Communications links 202 and 205 may be any communications linkssuitable for communicating between workstations 201 and server 204, suchas network links, dial-up links, wireless links, and hard-wired links.

Database servers may serve different types of databases, including arelational database, e.g., SQL database, object-oriented databases,linear databases, self-referential databases, and other types ofdatabases. In some embodiments, the processes executing on a databaseadministrator's computer may support a graphical user interface (GUI)that provides on a database (DB) administrator's desktop a nearreal-time view of multiple SQL server instances. Because, in thoseembodiments, monitoring configuration is not required on a SQL server,the GUI tool may appear to be essentially instantaneous to the DBadministrator so that any newly built SQL server can be viewed withouthaving to prepare the server from monitoring standpoint (e.g., toprovide a plug-and-play like functionality).

Information about the SQL Server status may be presented in a graphicaluser interface (GUI) format where status information for all of thelisted database servers is presented in one integrated view in anautomated manner. A monitoring process may read a list of SQL ServerInstances from a designated Server detail repository (in form of adatabase) of organization or from a flat text input file and thenconnects to each listed SQL server to query the System Catalogs of theSQL Server engine. Because the monitoring process runs from a centralserver, configuration demand at the SQL server's side is circumvented.The monitoring process interprets the received information from the SQLservers and updates the GUI. By monitoring and obtaining additionalinformation about SQL features for specified servers through the GUI,the database administrator or any other user (or self-learning analyticsengine) may then report and/or fix detected issues. The processes mayuse a 32-bit operating system, thus circumventing a complicatedmonitoring infrastructure that demands extra skill sets and significantcost with infrastructure dependency.

The various steps that follow in the discussion of FIGS. 3 and 4 may beimplemented by one or more of the components in FIGS. 1 and 2 and/orother components, including other computing devices.

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative event sequence 300 for implementing andusing a data processing system to provide automated collaborationassistance functions in accordance with one or more example embodiments.A variety of preset criteria 310 are used to trigger a feedback request320 during a customer session. For example, the feedback request 320 maybe triggered by failure detection 310A, such as in the event thecustomer begins an activity but is unable to complete it successfully.Another example of a preset criteria is irritation detection 310B, whichmay be a situation in which the customer completes an activity, but in agreater number of steps or duration of time than normally would beexpected. For example, if an successful activity “A” normally followsthe route “Event ‘a’→Event ‘b’→Event ‘c’→Event ‘d,’” the computingplatform may track the route that the customer actually follows tocomplete activity A. If the actual route taken is not similar to thedefined route, and/or the customer remains stuck in the same event for aperiod of time, the customer may become irritated or frustrated. Uponthe computing platform detecting such an event 310B, the computingplatform may automatically request feedback 320 from the customer todetermine if he or she needs assistance in completing the task, and/orsolicit input with regard to possible improvements with respect to theactivity that presented difficulties to that customer.

A feedback request also may be triggered based on valued transactions310C. Consumer sessions occurring in temporal proximity to specialoccasions associated with gift-giving, e.g., Christmas, Valentine's Day,Mother's Day, Father's Day, or the like, may have sentimental value asthe transaction may be for the benefit of a loved one. Valuedtransactions 310C also may include events that are known by the host toattract negative consequences such as customer attrition orproduct/service agreement cancellation. It is contemplated that a timelyfeedback request, particularly if coupled with an instant response tothe customer, in some instances may help to retain a customer'sbusiness.

Voice feedback 325 received from the customer may be converted into textto aid further processing. As schematically shown as item 350, textclassification techniques may be used to identify the topic/feature andany associated sentiment with a particular customer feedback. Theinitial gathering of feedback may include identifying the topic 350A andthe particular activity or type of transaction 352A (check deposit, fundtransfer, or the like). This step also may include identifying whetherthe transaction involved customer sentiment 350B and, if so, whether thecustomer's response was positive or negative 352B. Any customer commentsor other submissions 350C may be collected and analyzed for trends 352C,for example to help gauge initial customer response to a new featureoffered. A trend graph may be developed to help quantify the sentimenttrends of a particular feature.

Once the feedback is collected and sorted, it then may be processed todetermine an appropriate next course of action to assist the customer. Anatural language processing (NLP) system 330 may be used for suggestiondiscovery, such as is described in co-pending application Ser. No.15/355,810, filed Nov. 18, 2016, entitled “Network Security DatabaseSorting Tool,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety. The NPL processing system basically involvesidentifying and prioritizing keywords to help decipher a particularverbal response. This step may involve a “handshake” during which thecustomer is asked to confirm that his or her feedback relates to thetopic identified by the NPL processing system. In the case of a “no”response, the customer may be prompted to rephrase the response tobetter articulate the particular topic or issue of concern.

A NLP engine 340 may be used to map a customer response with anyavailable features of the system that are associated with the particulartopic or issue that was identified by the NPL processing system 330. Atstep 360, an inquiry is made as to whether any existing system featurecorresponds to the particular topic or issue that was identified. Ifthis inquiry is answered in the affirmative, the customer may be askedwhether he or she would like to use the existing feature at step 370A.If, on the other hand, the inquiry is answered in the negative, thetopic or issue that was identified may be automatically added to afeature catalog 380 for later review. When, for example, customerresponses received over a period of time indicate the need for a newfeature, the feature may be added to a product catalogue 385 for furtherreview. If and when the new feature is implemented (step 390), thecustomer may be automatically notified by e-mail, text message, or othersuitable medium (step 395) that the new feature is available. Thecustomer also may be given a notification that a relevant new feature isunder development and/or is expected to become available at a futuredate.

A system health monitor 370B may be used to check the system health andalert the customer if, for example, a failed transaction was the resultof ill system health. The system health monitor 370B may automaticallysend a message to the customer once the technical issue plaguing systemhealth is resolved. The system health monitor 370B also mayautomatically direct the customer to an alternative channel (mobileapplication, website, etc.) that may be used to complete the transactionby other means not effected by the ill system health.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative method for receiving status informationfor a customer session and transmitting advice to a remote client devicefor display in accordance with one or more example embodiments. At step410, a computing platform receives, via the communication interface, afirst content stream containing status information associated with acustomer session. At step 420, responsive to receiving the first contentstream, the computing platform generates and transmits a feedbackrequest via the communication interface to a remote client device fordisplay thereon. At step 430, the computing platform receives a secondcontent stream containing information received from the remote clientdevice in response to the feedback request. At step 440, responsive toreceiving the second content stream, the computing platform generatesand transmits advice to the remote client device for display thereon. Ifthere is an existing feature or features available, the computingplatform may generate and transmit an inquiry 450A asking whether thecustomer wishes to engage the existing feature or features. If noexisting features are identified, the computing platform may transmit anotification 450B upon a new feature becoming available or as an updateto the development of a new feature.

Aspects of the embodiments have been described in terms of illustrativeembodiments thereof. Numerous other embodiments, modifications andvariations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occurto persons of ordinary skill in the art from a review of thisdisclosure. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that the steps illustrated in the illustrative figures may beperformed in other than the recited order, and that one or more stepsillustrated may be optional in accordance with aspects of theembodiments. They may determine that the requirements should be appliedto third party service providers (e.g., those that maintain records onbehalf of the company).

Various aspects described herein may be embodied as a method, anapparatus, or as one or more computer-readable media storingcomputer-executable instructions. Accordingly, those aspects may takethe form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely softwareembodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects.Any or all of the method steps described herein may be implemented ascomputer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium,such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. In addition, varioussignals representing data or events as described herein may betransferred between a source and a destination in the form of lightand/or electromagnetic waves traveling through signal-conducting mediasuch as metal wires, optical fibers, and/or wireless transmission media(e.g., air and/or space).

We claim:
 1. A computing platform, comprising: at least one processor; a communication interface communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; and memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing platform to: receive, via the communication interface, a first content stream containing status information associated with a customer session; responsive to receiving the first content stream, generate and transmit a feedback request via the communication interface to a remote client device, causing the feedback request to display on the remote client device; receive, via the communication interface, a second content stream containing information received from the remote client device in response to the feedback request; and responsive to receiving the second content stream, generate and transmit advice via the communication interface to the remote client device, causing the advice to be displayed on the remote client device.
 2. The computing platform of claim 1, wherein the first content stream includes status information indicating that an attempted transaction was unsuccessful, that a transaction required more than a predetermined number of steps or duration for completion, that a transaction occurred within a predetermined proximity to a specified date, or a combination thereof.
 3. The computing platform of claim 1, wherein the feedback request display includes a plurality of predetermined alternatives.
 4. The computing platform of claim 1, wherein the feedback request is generated upon the computing platform receiving one or more intermediate inquiry responses from the remote client device.
 5. The computing platform of claim 1, wherein the advice includes an identification of one or more existing features.
 6. The computing platform of claim 5, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing platform to generate and transmit an inquiry, via the communication interface, of whether the customer wishes to engage the existing feature or features, causing the inquiry to be displayed on the remote client device.
 7. The computing platform of claim 1, wherein the advice includes an indication that a new feature is under development or is scheduled for future development.
 8. The computing platform of claim 7, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing platform to generate and transmit, via the communication interface, an update pertaining to the availability of the new feature or to the development thereof, causing the update to be displayed on the remote client device.
 9. A method, comprising: at a computing platform comprising at least one processor, memory, and a communication interface: receiving, by the at least one processor, via the communication interface, from a content management system, a first content stream containing status information associated with a customer session; responsive to receiving the first content stream, generating and transmitting a feedback request via the communication interface to a remote client device, causing the feedback request to display on the remote client device; receiving, via the communication interface, a second content stream containing information received from the remote client device in response to the feedback request; and responsive to receiving the second content stream, generating and transmitting advice via the communication interface to the remote client device, causing the advice to be displayed on the remote client device.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first content stream includes status information indicating that an attempted transaction was unsuccessful, that a transaction required more than a predetermined number of steps or duration for completion, that a transaction occurred within a predetermined proximity to a specified date, or a combination thereof.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the feedback request display includes a plurality of predetermined alternatives.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the feedback request is generated upon the computing platform receiving one or more intermediate inquiry responses from the remote client device.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the advice includes an identification of one or more existing features.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating and transmitting an inquiry, via the communication interface, of whether the customer wishes to engage the existing feature or features, causing the inquiry to be displayed on the remote client device.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein the advice includes an indication that a new feature is under development or is scheduled for future development.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating and transmitting, via the communication interface, an update pertaining to the availability of the new feature or to the development thereof, causing the update to be displayed on the remote client device.
 17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a computing platform comprising at least one processor, memory, and a communication interface, cause the computing platform to: receive, via the communication interface, a first content stream containing status information associated with a customer session; responsive to receiving the first content stream, generate and transmit a feedback request via the communication interface to a remote client device, causing the feedback request to display on the remote client device; receive, via the communication interface, a second content stream containing information received from the remote client device in response to the feedback request; and responsive to receiving the second content stream, generate and transmit advice via the communication interface to the remote client device, causing the advice to be displayed on the remote client device.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the feedback request is generated upon the computing platform receiving one or more intermediate inquiry responses from the remote client device.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing platform to generate and transmit an inquiry, via the communication interface, of whether the customer wishes to engage an existing feature or features, causing the inquiry to be displayed on the remote client device.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing platform to generate and transmit, via the communication interface, an update pertaining to the availability of a new feature or to the development thereof, causing the update to be displayed on the remote client device. 